Winter Appeal Programme 2021

Background

As part of our effort to bring joy to our poor brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, International Welfare Relief Organisation provides assistance towards the Winter months when families are not able to get any employment and the severe weather makes it even more difficult to generate income to feed the family.

Once the snow sets in, Webb says it is too late to help communities that will be completely cut off from outside assistance.

This hunger crisis comes on top of a wider humanitarian and human rights crisis triggered by the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops and the seizure of control of the country by Taliban insurgents.

The United Nations reports some 18 million Afghans depend on international aid for survival. Getting that aid into the country during this turbulent period is becoming increasingly difficult as commercial aircraft are unable to land at Kabul airport.

The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates nearly 23 million of the country’s 39m population are now unable to get regular access to enough food. That figure has risen from 14m only two months ago.

David Beasley, executive director of WFP, said: « Children are going to die. People are going to starve. Things are going to get a lot worse. »

« I don’t know how you don’t have millions of people, and especially children, dying at the rate we are going with the lack of funding and the collapsing of the economy. »

 

Why Afghanistan?

Recent visits to Afghanistan have displayed poor and destitute conditions of Muslims which has now compounded with the current health climate which have made situations even worse.

Afghanistan:

You help is absolutely crucial if we are to prevent this crisis engulfing the lives of the most impoverished communities in the region. With a single parcel you could save an entire family from starvation and protect them from a harsh Afghan winter.

Impact:

• 14,000 families from 6 provinces of Afghanistan could benefit from your generosity
• A single parcel would help 12 to 16 members of a family
• A parcel will give the opportunity to spend the little available income on other provisions

Since the beginning of 2021, WFP has provided lifesaving food and nutrition assistance to 8.7 million people, including treatment and prevention of malnutrition for nearly 400,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 790,000 children under-five. Close to 4 million people were reached in September alone. Additionally, this year, more than 210,000 children with severe acute malnutrition were provided with lifesaving treatment through UNICEF-supported services. Ready-to-use therapeutic food for more than 42,000 children and therapeutic milk for 5,200 children was also delivered to UNICEF partners in the past eight weeks.

Current Situation

“One child killed or maimed every 5 hours over 20 years of war in Afghanistan”

Hassan Noor, Asia Regional Director for Save the Children, said:

« As the last military planes fly out of Kabul today it is a sad truth that, along with the planes, the international coverage, attention and support Afghanistan has received over the past few weeks are also likely to depart. But while the rest of world moves on, millions of Afghan children will go to bed tonight hungry, grieving and unsure of what their futures hold.

« What remains after 20 years is a generation of children whose entire lives have been blighted by the misery and impact of war. The magnitude of human suffering of the past two decades is beyond comprehension.

« Every single child born and raised in Afghanistan has known nothing but conflict, and lived in the certainty that explosives could go off at any moment, or bombs could fall out of the sky. They have seen siblings succumb to hunger, poverty or disease. As we speak, thousands of families who have been forced to flee their homes are living outside in the open with not even a blanket to protect them from the bitter winter ahead. A nightmare scenario is unfolding before our very eyes.

Our aim is to feed 14,000 poor families in 6 cities of Afghanistan which are Daikundi, Bamyan, Ghazni, Kabul, Balkh/Mazar, and Herat for which the breakdown is as follows:

1. 700 families in Daikundi
2. 1,100 families in Bamyan
3. 2,500 families in Ghazni
4. 3,400 families in Kabul
5. 2,500 families in Balkh/Mazar
6. 3,800 families in Herat

Total Number of families in the six provinces 14,000.

Total Number of individuals in the total number of families requiring assistance within the six provinces 171,370

Winter Appeal 2021

With the help of our donors, IWRO hopes to provide food parcels to poor and destitute Families this Winter.  We believe that this Winter, we can help alleviate the worry and anxiety of more widow and needy families by donating Food Parcels so that during Winter, when the families struggle even more to source any work or funding, the families can protect themselves from the severe winter and eat at least one nutritious and balanced meal a day to survive the severe cold. This has become even more critical during the pandemic.

The average cost per food parcel is $62.50/£46/€54 which feeds 12-16 people in a family for 6 weeks with basic flour and oil. The food parcels consist of:

• 50 kg Flour
• 10 litre Oil

Many poor Muslim brothers and sisters will only have access to this basic food parcel to feed the family. We are requesting for this Winter Appeal for the desperate widow and poor families who have to constantly struggle.

Ideally, if we could afford to add some more funds per parcel, we would add rice, lentils and vegetables per parcel which would extend each parcel with 50 kg flour and 10 litres oil from 6 weeks to 3 months. Unfortunately, we are currently looking to support more families by reducing the cost per package and only providing 2 basic items to survive the severe winter.

What better time to express your generosity and receive Thawab?

Summary

It is estimated that the number of people who die from hunger and poverty each year is 25 times higher than those who die from conflict. Severe weather and the global food crisis have pushed more people into food insecurity.

While we are able to eat a hot meal every day during the severe winters, families in Afghanistan are dying from the severe cold due to lack of income which keeps them starved for days and in the end lose their life.

The number of women and children that benefit from your generosity is dependent on your donations.

Impact

• it takes just a little over $1.5 per night to feed a needy poor and widow Family
• it only costs 10 cents/ 7 pence per night to feed one person in a Widow Family of 16 for 42 days many families in many communities will be able to eat a nourishing and decent meals
• Families who currently have no means to earn, are in desperate situations, and will starve to death during the severe weather